April 30, 2017

NETFLIX SERIES: "13 REASONS WHY"

LOTS OF SPOILERS
BELOW BECAUSE THIS IS NOT ENTERTAINMENT.

This series got
ME very, very depressed. The full-on suicide was horrific. The filmmakers REJECTED THE ADVICE OF EXPERTS TO NOT
REPRESENT THE SUICIDE WITHOUT CUTTING AWAY.(Rather than being irresponsible, I think they probably put artistic license before humanitarian prudence--thinking that brutal "art" could "save.")

COPYCAT SUICIDES

Suicide is the
#2 killer of teens today (North America). There are always copycat suicides
after popular depictions (or news stories covering actual teen suicides) of
teen suicides: this is exactly what happened after "Dead Poets
Society." The copycat suicides are hushed up by first responders and news
media, or they used to be, JUST for the fact of even more copycats.

I think the verdict is now out. The wildly-popular, or at least
widely-seen Netflix series "13 Reasons Why"--(based on the
book by the same name) about a teen girl who commits suicide--may actually have the reverse effect of its
intended purpose. The purpose of the book/series was to prevent teen
suicide by graphically depicting one, as well as the events leading up to it,
all narrated by the deceased girl herself.

I'm going to recommend the 5 articles below and one audio
interview--which all urge great caution in the viewing of the series. Adults
should certainly see the series so they can talk about it with teens who have
seen it (or may have seen it secretly). It is vital to just start talking with your
teens about the series, about teen suicide and about the many, many other
issues brought up in the series. Teens WANT and NEED to talk with trusted
adults about this series.

What I would really love is to hear from teens themselves (those
at risk for depression, suicide, etc., and those who are not but may have
friends who are) as to how they are processing it all. (Hint, hint: comment on
this blog post. Thank you!) Some are saying it is helping them to realize they need to be kind and little things can hurt a lot. Other young people are saying that they don't see any hope in the series--even though most people watched it all the way through waiting for something hopeful, some solution! Some teens are saying: but that's not real life! There IS hope!

Adults may want to begin watching the series with the very last
episode which is actually an Epilogue with actors, director, producers and
psychologists speaking about the making of the film (with clips of scenes). But
it is not enough to watch this one episode. Teens have seen the whole series:
you need to also.

SUPER INTENSE, SUPER
DARK, SUPER HOPELESS

The filmmakers
had the best of intentions, but for all their filmmaking and teen-brain
expertise, they failed to see that you cannot control/direct how the majority
of teens may very well process this super intense, super dark, super hopeless drama.

And
when you're a teen, who are you going to side with: adults telling you NOT to
do something? Or a teen rebelling against everything around herself and keenly
and articulately going on and on and on giving reasons for her suicide for
hours and hours of the series so that she has the last word and is in final control of the situation?

Hannah Baker, the new girl at school, is lonely and suffering. A
series of events, including sexting, rape, male objectification of females:
physical/emotional/verbal, teenage drinking, teen sex, bullying, a fatal car accident
she inadvertently and indirectly "caused," betrayal of friends, etc.,
led her to give up on life. Before she kills herself, she meticulously records
13 old-school cassette tapes to explain her "13 reasons why" she
killed herself. Each of the 13 reasons are a person that she effectively blames.
One young man in particular, Clay Jensen--as sweet and genuine as Hannah, with
whom she began a romantic relationship--is taking it very, very hard, of course.
Due to his shyness and awkwardness, he wasn't always "there for her,"
and so he is majorly blaming himself.

The series is realistic, gritty, and goes into the many heavy
issues facing teens today. The dialogue is in-depth. It is very rich because of
dealing in depth with so many teen topics. I'm sure teens will feel honoured by
the very fact that someone cared enough to show the world what they are really
facing (although, certainly, most teens aren't facing all of the issues
portrayed). But that's not good enough. There is only one glimmer of hope at
the very end when Clay reaches out to another isolated girl. But that's it. One
psychologist is calling this "negative flooding" or "exposure
therapy" which can actually work to make young people COMFORTABLE WITH
SUICIDE. The negativity is soooo overwhelming.

Here's a seeming correlation of the influence of "13 Reasons" on young people:"The difference is we've seen a more rapid increase in numbers than we've ever seen," said Dr. Ajit Jetmalani, the head of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at OHSU's Doernbecher Children's Hospital. "The pattern is similar, but it's the actual numbers that are alarming."

In his review, Christopher West makes the point that we shouldn't turn away from "13 Reasons" because WE'RE uncomfortable. Are we shunning/avoiding the ugliness that young people face every day? Are we refusing to know, understand, enter into their pain?

At one point before her complete downward spiral, Hannah says: "I need a purpose in life." Unfortunately, it's just a passing thought and this theme is not explored. Don't underestimate the ability of a teen to have a serious existential crisis. I did. And I seriously didn't want to live any more. I didn't know God yet and couldn't figure out why I was alive, what it was all for. Life seemed utterly absurd (even without the sufferings Hannah endured). And don't underestimate teens' ability to latch on to something challenging and true that might help in all the confusion. John Paul II wrote "On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering" after he was shot. The point is not to just blithely accept suffering (we should try to relieve most types of human suffering, certainly), but it can make the world of difference to know that suffering can be redemptive: https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1984/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_11021984_salvifici-doloris.html

STAY TUNED....

There is so much I want to say about this series. I took 10 pages
of notes! Hopefully, I will begin slowly adding topics/subsections to this blog
post. But for now, I concur with the 6 resources above.

Oh, and here are some hopefully hope-filled tweets I was inspired to post:

1 comment:

As someone who struggled with the idea of suicide when I was in high school, one large reason that this show can have a negative effect is that there is no mention of mental health as a factor. Due to OCD and severe depression, i was in and out of the hospital and finally got the mental health professional help I needed. God created doctors and this should not be a topic to shy away from when talking to young students about this series. There is nothing shameful in seeking help, and I wish the ending where Clay reaches out to another girl involved him giving her proper resources AS WELL AS his support.

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About Me

I was going to be an ornithologist, but God zapped me and I now belong to the Daughters of St. Paul, an international congregation of religious women dedicated to spreading God's Word through the media: www.pauline.org. I give workshops to teens and adults on Media Literacy, Philosophy, and Theology of the Body. I'm a movie reviewer for LifeTeen and Sirius XM--The Catholic Channel. I have an M.A. in Media Literacy Education; a B.A. in philosophy and theology from St. John's U, NYC; and a Certificate in Pastoral Youth Ministry from the Center for Youth Ministry Development, Naugatuck, CT. I studied screenwriting at UCLA and Act One, Hollywood. I'm also studying at the Theology of the Body Institute in PA & have written a TOB curriculum for teens, young adults, adults. My daily book for women is "He Speaks To You." I'm the writer/producer of www.MediaApostle.com and a co-producer on www.The40Film.com.